Electric switch



Aprii 27,1926. 1,582,711

F. G. VON HOORN ELECTRIC SWITCH Filed May l0. 19.92

WITNESSES: INVENTOR 26M HMB/Y a :1on1/001,7. fm

ATTORNEY Patented Apr 27, `1926.

1,582,711 -PATENT. OFFICE.

FRED e( VON HOORN, E BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, AssIGNoE To WEsTINoHoUsE ELEC-Taro @@MANUEACTUEING COMPANY, A CORPORATION OE rENNsYLvANIA. l

ELECTRIC SWITCH.

Application filed May 10, 1922. Serial No. 559,708.

To aZZ whom it may concern.'

Be it known that I, FRED G. voN HOORN, a

citizen of the, United States, and a resident of Brooklyn,`in the countyof Kings and State of NewYork, have invented a new and usefulAImprovement in Y Electric Switches, of which the followingis aspecifi-p cation. My invention relates to electric `switches andparticularly to operating mechanisms therefor.

One of the objectsof my invention is the provision of manually operablemeans for closing a switch that is provided' with an l5 overload device,in such manner that, if an overload is present at the time the switch ismoved to closed position, the switch may be automatically releasedregardless of the position of the manually operable member.

Another, object of my invention is the provision of means whereby anactuating" member for closing the switch is set in motion and thenautomatically freed from a manual operating membertherefor, so that itmay moveto actuate the/switch independently of the manually operablemember.

Still another object4 of my inventionis to simplify and improvegenerally the operation and construction of electric switches.

As shown in the accompanying drawings,

-Figure lis a view partially in side eleva-` in section, of. .a switchthe line Ill-II tion and partially embodying my invention,

Fig. 2 is a view taken on O- Fig. l, 1. 1 l Fig.,3 is' a view, partiallyin' plan and partially in section, of a portion of the apparatus ofFig.1, f

Fig. 4 is a plan view of still another poru tion of the apparatus, and

Fig. 5 is a diagrammatic view showingth'ev manner in which the switchofFig. 1 is connected in a circuit.

The switch is mounted in a box 6 that is provided with a cover 7. A baseSis provided t support a pair of stationary contact .members 9'an`d apair of movable con-y tact members 10,'the movable contact members beingsupported, through a plate ll'and a movable contact carrier 12 that ispivotally mounted-at 13, upon a bracket 14 which is secured to the base8. l Aspring 16 normally biases .thevmovable switchparts in a clockwisedirection. A lbracket 17 thatis secured to the'base, pivotally supportsa latch Bassum 18 that is biased about its pivot in a clockwisedirection by a spring 19 andfserves, through its engagement with thecarrier 12, to hold the movable Contact members in closed positionagainst the 'tension of the spring 16. Y i

.p A push button 20 is provided for manually tripping the latch 18 freeof the Contact carrier 12. A leaf spring 21 serves-to normally hold thepush. button 2O in its retracted position. f

The bracket 17l also serves as a support for a shaft 22 that issurrounded with vfusible materialr or solder' 23. The solder 23 servesto normally hold a tripping member 24 against turning movement under theaction of a spring 26 that has its opposite ends secured to the member24 and the carrier 12, respectively. -The shaft 22 is of resistancematerial and in series with a circuit 28 that is controlled by theswitch. Upon the occurrence of an overload in the circuit 28, thefusible material 23"is softened, thus -permitting the tripping member 24to turn in a clockwise direction, by rea- 8 son of the tension exertedthereupon bythe spring 26, This movement of the member 24 causes it tomove the latch` 18 against they tension of the spring 19 to trip itlfree of the carrier 12 and to thereby permitthe spring 16 to snap theContact membersIOtO. open position.

As the switch moves to open position, the tension upon the spring 26 isdecreased andthat upon a' spring' 30' is increased,`by reason of` themovement .of the carrier 12 about its pivot 13. This change in theVtension`rv exerted upon the member-.24 moves Such member. in acounterclockwisedirection until it again occupies. the positionillustratedy in Fig.l l and leaves it ready for anotherautomaticoperation,y should an overload held against '.'rotativemovethereto;x lAn actuating member or plungerY 34 is slidableupon therod 33 and is nor- V38 in the push button 31.

Upon pressure of the but-ton 31,.the/actuating member 34 is advancedafgainst the compression of the spring 35 and, as it moves downwardly, awing member l39,

l claim as my invention:

1. The' combination with an electric,

switch pormally biased to open position, oi' an actuating devicetherefor comprising a reciprocable actuating device, means fordepressing the said device against a tension ,membeiy means forpermitting the actuating provided with means for moving it into whichextends through a slot 40 in the@ the -pathi of the movable switchmember bracket 32, engages a camming surface 41 adjacent to the lowerend of said slot.

A wing member, 43 is also provided and so angularly disposed as-tonormally pass the rear end of the carrier 12 during its ldescent underthe ac ion of the push butand bringing the win 43 into verticalalinement with the rear portion of the carrier .12. At this positionofthe bracket, the pins 37 are in alinement with the holes l38 of thepush button and, owing to the compression of the spring 35 may snap intothe holes 38, thus permitting the actuating mem- 1 ber 34 vto moveupwardly under the pressure of thespring 35. If lthe carrier 12,-at thistime, occupies the positionillustrated in dotted lines infFig. 1, itwill be moved to .closed position against the tension of the spring 16'.

i. This moyement ofthe actuating member 34 may occur regardless ofwhetherfor not 'the' operator holds the button 31 depressed.

If, after 'upward movement of the member 34, the button 31 be released,it will be, returned, under the action of a spring 45, to the positionillustrated in Fig. l, and the actuating member 34 will be rotated byreason y ofthe ytorsion in`the spring 35 until the pins 37 are again outof alinement with the holes Ity will thus be seen that,lwhen the buttonu 31` is depressed, the actuating member 39 is rotated so that it maymove' freely upward to closethe switch, and that, should .anoverload bepresent in the circuit, the' .switch would bek automatically moved to Iopen position, regardlejof whether the op- Y erator should maintain thevbutton 31 dei pressed. In lother words, the applicant p ro- Variouschanges in detail and general arrangement may be made without departingmfrom the spirit and scope of the invention,

as defined the accompanying clainfis.- v t when actuated inonev'direction andmoving it out of the path of said switch member when,operating in the other direction.

3. The combination with a movable switch member, of co-.operatingmechanism therefor comprising a push-button and an actuating Y memberfor the lswitch member movable in-y dependently lof the push button, thepushbutton and the actuating member being provided with means-forautomatically releasing the actuating member from the'` push buttonduring one stage of its movement.

4; The combination with a movable switch member, otro-operatingmechanism therefor comprising a push-button, an actuating member for theswitch member movable l independently ofthe push button, the pushbuttonand the actuating member being provided with Vmeans for automaticallyreleasing the "actuating member from Jthe pushbutton during one rstageof its movement and with means vfor again bringing them into operativelrelation at another stage of their movement.

`5. The combination with a movable switch member, of operatingvmechanism therefor comprising a push button, a plunger movableindependently of the switch member, a springfor biasing the plungeragainst the 'button, a loose connection between the plunger and' thebutton, means carried by the plunger for engaging lthe said -switchmember, and means for rendering the pushbutton .inoperative .to 'holdthe plunger against tension at a predetermined stage in the movement ofthe plunger... g

6. The combination with a movable switch member, of. a tensionedactuating member therefor movable independently thereof, a

push-button for operating the actuating member, and means forcausing theactuating member yto move independently of the push button when at apredetermined po'- sition.

7. The ,combination with a switch having `an overload tripping device,of an actuating member forV closing the switch, manually operable meansfor setting the actuating" member in operation, and means fordisconnecting the said manual means from the actuating member in advanceof the movement by the said actuating member in one direction.

8. The combination with an electric switch, of a reciprocable actuatingmember` therefor provided with a tension device, means carried by theactuating member for closing the switch-when moving in one directionunder the force of the tension device, a manually operable member formoving the actuating member against the tension device and means fordisengaging thel manually operable member from the actuating member at apredetermined position.

9. The combination with an electric switch, of a reciprocable actuatingmember therefor provided with a tension device, means carried by theactuating member for closing the switch when moving in one directionunder the force of .thetension de vice, a manually-operable membernormally in operative engagement with the actuating .member :for movingit against the tension device, means for disengaging the manuallyoperable member from the actuating Imember at a. predetermined positionand means for returning the Said manual member to its normal V.positionafter it has be released.

10. In combination, a movable switch member, a manually operable member,an

`actuating member operable by the manually operable member in onedirection independently of the switch and movable in the oppositedirection independently of the manualtuating the switch during itsreturn movement after the manually operable member v has been moved apredetermined distance.

12. The combination with an automaticalj ly opened movable switchmember, of a manuall 'having a relatively movable switch actuatingmember adapted to move the switch to 'closed positionY independently ofthe manually operated member when thevlatter has moved a predetermineddistance.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto subscribed my name this 28th dayof April FRED e. VON HooRN.

operated reclosing member therefor A.

